A lifelong river guide, dude rancher, wildlife biologist and conservative conservationist, Turner served as a Teton County Republican in the Wyoming Legislature for 20 years before being appointed to the George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush administrations.
[1] He is the third generation of Turners to operate a concession the Triangle X Dude Ranch under a contract with Grand Teton National Park.
[3] He worked there until 2001, when President George W. Bush nominated Turner to be Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs; he subsequently held office until July 2005.
[3] Turner became the first ever Beverly and Eldon Spicer Visiting Professor in Environmental and Natural Resources at the University of Wyoming in 2006.
[3] Since leaving public service, Turner has served on the Board of Directors of International Paper, Northeast Utilities, Peabody Energy, and Ashland Inc.[3] He has been the recipient of environment leadership awards from the National Audubon Society, The Nature Conservancy and the National Wildlife Federation, along with numerous public service awards from within his home state of Wyoming.